Cetus
by Angel Starbeam
Summary: She goes by many names, I call her Cetus. AU of Hathor and Daniel Jackson.


**Cetus**

Author: Angel Starbeam

Summary: She has many names. I name her Cetus, a monster that must be slain.

Disclaimer: I have no rights what so ever to Stargate SG-1, just a fan with an overactive imagination.

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**Part 1**

Outside laid the blood-splattered dead with their swords lying next to them. Fires raged and consumed the little that was left. Inside, the stone floors and walls of the palace were stained with blood and tears. There were survivors but no one was shown favor; servants, slaves, people of the royal court, all were rounded up by men, or beings that walked with two legs. They could not be men, with their bodies being covered by armor that has never been seen before and staffs that gave out lightening. The survivors saw these staffs of lightening take lives away. Ones who ran away were fired upon while the ones who stayed still were taken to the jails.

That is what she saw before these demon soldiers, the Jaffa , caught her and her mother and held them captive in a room that was once her mother's place to think and strategize. Around her, what was once pristine with finely carve tables, shelves of scrolls and colorful mosaics, was now in shambles and decimated. She was chained, another prisoner, and could do nothing for her situation or that of the others.

The chains pulled her arms to the ground, and no matter how she strained to do so, she just could not lift them up. They chafed against her skin and were cold, but then everything was cold. It soaked her whole body up and she shivered because of it along with fear and anger.

Beside her was her mother, calm as a clear night sky. Ever the dignified queen, she showed no weakness and still regal and proud while in chains, on grazed knees and held captive by Jaffa. Defeated yes, but she never will succumb to her captors. She held her head high and looked at the guards as if they were ignorant fools to treat her in such a way. A stark contrast to her, she was sure of it. She was the daughter of the queen, but was sniveling like a small scared beast.

" Jaffa Kree!"

Jaffa stood attention as more of their own entered the room, with the staffs and engulfing dark armor. With them came four young men clad in gold garments. Finally, the goddess came in, a woman beautiful enough with her smooth dark skin and ebony curls to be called a divine entity, but her eyes were cold and merciless.

"So this is the mortal who decided to defy her goddess." The goddess circled them as a preying beast its kill. "Did we not give your people good gifts? All we ask are the tributes."

"You enslave us." The queen narrowed her eyes. "Use us for your own pleasures."

"We are you goddess," she retorted. "All who show devotion to us will be rewarded."

"I have heard of your kind. I know of your true form." The queen challenged.

A malicious spark arose from the goddess' eyes.

"A snake possessing a woman's corpse," the queen finished.

Eyes flashing, the goddess steadied herself. The queen's own eyes steeled, readying for any punishment. Instead of going for the insolent mortal's throat, the goddess turned her gaze to the princess; her hand gently caressed the girl's red gold locks.

"You daughter is very beautiful." The goddess let go of the girl's hair. " Jaffa ."

Jaffa grabbed the princess by the arms and pulled her up.

"What are you doing?" The queen tried to stand but Jaffa pushed her down.

"She must be readied," The goddess replied, "You are right; this body is no longer suitable for us. We need fresh blood."

The goddess smiled at the sight of the color draining from the mortal queen. The princess, her only child, tried to wrestle out of the powerful grips.

"STOP! LET HER GO!" The queen screamed out.

The plea fell on deaf ears, and her daughter was dragged off, screaming for her mother.

The goddess leaned next to the queen's ear, and whispered, "Be grateful. After all you have done, I have chosen your daughter. She shall be a goddess."

* * *

The last thoughts that were my own were that of my beloved.

I was afraid but also angry. Very angry. It would be my final stand so I fought, struggled from their grips, bit their hands, growled like a captured wild cat.

When I saw the she-snake demon enter the room, I insulted her.

Demon snake. Impostor. Monster.

"How spirited," she said. She then held out a staff, it glowed at her touch and glowed at me.

And I stopped fighting. My will had left me. My clothes were torn off,and I did not even scream. I was laid upon a stone slab that was not in the room before. She stood beside me- how would she possess me? Would I be slashed open as if a dead beast and the snake would force herself into me, or would she kiss me, and she could slither down my throat?

Then I heard a voice, crying out to me desperate and passionate. I recognized that voice.

I turned my head and only saw a dark-headed blur slash down two of guards. The blur became clearer, more familiar, with dark eyes sparked by rage and determination, body glisten in sweat, and a sharp face. This was the one I was to marry, my beloved.

My beloved was clever, able to find a path to anywhere. Unfortunately, according to my mother, since he is young, he is inclined to do foolish things. Like trying to save me when it was obvious I could not be saved. Still in that instant, I had hope.

My beloved had two swords, covered in blood and he was prepared to coat them with some more. A third demon soldier was firing up his lightning staff but he never finished- my beloved struck him down. My hope grew as I watched this. He could succeed and we had a chance to escape…

Then my hope vanished once when one last demon soldier knocked him from behind. On the floor, my beloved lifted his and met the end of the lightening staff, about to fire his face off. I wanted to cry but didn't- still not sure if was because of my paralyzed state or I decided to dissociate myself and pretend it was not real.

It had to be dream, because what happen next could never occur in reality.

The she-snake stepped forward. "Jaffa. Kree!"

The demon soldier halted in his kill but kept the staff right on my beloved's neck, while he moaned in pain and barely moved.

"Hol mel. Take him to the hold." *

The demon soldier then grabbed my beloved by the neck and dragged him away. My beloved opened his eyes and saw he had failed in rescuing me. But he was like me. He kept fighting and struggled against the grip. He was still demanding that I be released.

With no more interruptions, she turned back to me and heaved. Out from her mouth came the snake, a white and disgusting thing. I did not scream. The human body fell from sight, no longer important since the demon snake found someone new.

I feared what she would do to him after she was done with me. I hoped that he would miraculously get free, maybe save me. I hopedwe might flee from this place that was once my home. I knew that she had won and we were condemned. I thought this as I felt her slick clammy body slithering to my neck and dug deep into it.

Why did he not just leave me for dead and escape? Or at late least try to rescue me earlier; perhaps when I was being drag through the hallway.

My brilliant fool.

She entered my neck, into my mind, and my body became my prison.

A living nightmare.

* * *

My mother was the only one who could go against a goddess. My father, her husband, died along with many of his men in a war that gained us peace. Not allowing herself to mourn until she had time to do so, Mother set to work to heal the wounds of our home. We had peace but our people were hungry, our territories were broken and our treasury was near empty.

During her reign, she expanded our kingdom without ever lifting a sword. All she had to use was her words, either it was peaceful negations or promises that she will go to war and she was not bluffing. Mother was quite frightening when someone made her angry. Territories that had rich trade routes came into our possessions and our wealth return tenfold.

Mother appointed my first cousin, a shrewd and honorable man, to oversee on how we spend those riches. Our capital was fortified with high and strong walls, a legacy built by my father. Inside though, was my mother's own legacy. Inside, the city was glorified by grand public buildings, gardens, pillars and temples dedicated to our gods.

One was a personal restoration project of hers. It was the Temple of Eshmun, my father's patron god. After it was restored, my mother finally allowed herself to mourn. She did so while paying tribute to her own patron goddess, Astarte.

The most valuable thing for Mother was an educated and wise mind. She kept company with a number of intellectuals even appointed one as her advisor so to satisfy her hunger for knowledge. Mother was very attentive in regards of my own education. I had a variety of tutors well versed in their former professions. One was one of my mother's generals. He was a great man who had a taste of philosophy. I favored him because he had a wondrous collection of books from what seem to me the edge of the world and he'd let me read them and talk about them afterwards. He had another student that he taught alongside me. This was his nephew, my beloved, someone who always came up with the most interesting comments that made me laugh or bewildered. We were later pleased that my mother arranged for us to be married.

I was content with my life and I loved my mother. Although I had one gnawing thought, a constant worry; I was the queen's daughter and would rule after her but did not believe I could. I told her this once.

"Do not underestimate yourself," She told me. "You have an ability that will serve you well. You are patient. You know how and when to wait."

I accepted that, learning later what she meant.

The beginning of the end began when strange visitors came to our home. They were dressed in what were once resplendent garments, and wanted sanctuary. They told my mother tales of demons, hideous white snakes that had great power and came from the heavens. They stole human bodies, forced the people to worship them as gods, and terrorized all they dominated.

The visitors left not long afterwards, leaving a warning- the snake demons loved to gain more power and conquered the humans. No one has been able to defeat them. My mother listened to their words, all they described about the demons, but as far as she was concerned- No had been able to defeat them yet.

The goddess soon came to our area, taking kingdom by kingdom. When she came to ours, Mother was prepared to launch the campaign to rid of the demon soldiers covered in armor and carried staffs harnessing lightening.

My beloved's uncle and my mother gathered every ally and resource the kingdom had. Mother knew their weapons, armor, and overall military might were superior to ours. In order to have a chance against them, any weakness they had had to be exploited or invented.

Most of our campaign strategies had the goal of fractioning their army and dealing with the fractions in places where they couldn't escape. Also, our army was given new armor and shields that either deflected or endured against their lightening staffs. I remember sitting in those meetings in which those ideas were made along with many others. I remember how the idea of the reflective shields came from a comment by my beloved.

He said offhandedly if the staff's lightening could reflect off mirror surfaces like actual lightening did. And even though the staffs were impressive and intimidating, they were not all that accurate in aim. Mother saw beyond his line of thought and she began to think. Moments later, she ordered her generals to see if armor could be as reflective as a mirror.

Even though everything was done to fight against the demons, their giant flying ships came over our armies and after they were killed, the ships came to the capital.

The walls my father built were burned and crumbled by their lightening and fire. The grand buildings and beautiful gardens erected by Mother were damage beyond all repairs. The Temple of Eshmun was stripped of all its treasures. As the destruction of our capital went on, one fact became evident to everyone.

We lost. They won.

"This is your goddess!" One Jaffa thrust out his staff.

A frighten and brow beaten crowd sink to their knees as the goddess reveals her face to be mine.

"We are Hathor. From this day forth, you are all our children. We will bless you but only if you obey us."

A ragged woman was dragged to the platform. It took me a moment to recognize that it was Mother.

"The ones who are ungrateful, disloyal, and cruel to us will face punishment," The goddess directed attention to Mother, "This woman started a war that caused in needless bloodshed for her own vanity's sake and to keep her position of power." The goddess used my eyes to face her. "As punishment, she will give her own blood."

The goddess sauntered over to Mother. "A last statement?"

Mother kept her composure, refusing to appear weak while waiting for her imminent death. She looked to me, me alone. "Daughter, if you are to finish what I started, you must be what you always are- patient."

The goddess used my face to smile. "Your daughter is dead."

Jaffa pushed my mother to her knees. One stood front of her and pointed his staff to her. The staff came ablaze and my mother kept gazing upon my face.

In my reflection of that day, the day Mother was executed, it felt unusually bright, the sun was blinding. When that night came, it was the coldest and darkest I have ever known.

She let him live. She used my memories of us, used my voice as she talked about them. She seduced him with the vapors that bewitched all men.

Nights when she slept, I was awake. I begged my beloved to stab my body, kill her and free me.

He finally agreed. When he was about to strike with his knife, she already knew. My thoughts were hers to search and she found the plot. As punishment, my hands were used to take his life and my voice was used to command the disposal of his body.

She tormented me with the memory of his eyes, betrayed and lifeless. She continued to reside in my body and expanded her rule- more land, more worshippers, more power.

My monster had other names, given and taken. Hathor, Ishtar, Aphrodite.

I named her Cetus.

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AN: Reviews are encouraged. Questions, comments, criticism, praise, WTH! are all welcome.


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